THE UTERUS. 



2005 



ovary. As the tube crosses the medial surface of the latter organ the broad liga- 

 ment is drawn over it, so that the ovary lies partly within a peritoneal pocket, the 

 bursa ovarii. The anterior border of the ovary is attached to the posterior surface 

 of the broad ligament by a short fold, the mcsovariiim, that encloses the hilum and 

 is continued into the modified serous investment that covers the sexual gland. The 

 utero-ovarian ligament and the attached border of the ovary unequally divide the 

 broad ligament into an upper narrow triangular portion, the mesosalpinx, that 

 encloses the tube, and a lower broad part, the niesometrizim, that passes medially to 

 the sides of the uterus and becomes continuous with the perimetrium, as the serous 

 investment of that organ is termed. Within the mesosalpinx the connective tissue 

 filling the interval between the two serous layers of the broad ligament is very scanty, 

 "but within the mesometrium this tissue increases to a considerable stratum and con- 

 tains numerous strands of smooth muscle prolonged from the uterus. Surrounding 

 the uterus, it is known as the parametrizim, and along the attached borders of the 

 ligament laterally, and below, becomes continuous with the general subserous layer 

 of the pelvis. 



The Round Ligament. — In addition to the Fallopian tube and the ligament of 

 the ovary, already described (page 1987), a third band, the round ligament (liga- 



FlG. ] 6(59. 



Fallopian tube, ampulla Ligament of ovary 



Epoophoroii 



Mesosalpinx I Fallopian tube 



Abdominal opening 

 of Fallopian tube 



Hydatid of Morgagni 



Ovarian fimbria 



Round ligament 



Mesometrium 



Anterior wall of Douglas's pouch, 



/ 



Vagina 



Uterus and appendages seen from behind ; broad ligament and 

 oviduct have been stretched out to show mesosalpinx. 



mentum- teres), passes on each side from the upper lateral angle of the uterus. This 

 structure, a flattened cord from 12-14 cm. (4^-5^^ in.) long and about .5 cm. 

 thick, springs from the side of the uterus, in front and below the entrance of the 

 oviduct, and extends (Fig. 1684) between the layers of the broad ligament horizon- 

 tally outward to the lateral pelvic wall, which it reaches near the floor. Thence it 

 continues its course beneath the peritoneum forward and slightly upward, crosses the 

 obliterated hypogastric artery, the pelvic brim, and the external iliac vessels, and, 

 hooking around the outer side of the deep epigastric artery, gains the internal ab- 

 dominal ring. Passing through the latter and traversing the entire length of the 

 inguinal canal, the round ligament emerges from the external abdominal ring and 

 ends by breaking up into a number of diverging fibrous bands that become mostly 

 lost in the subcutaneous tissue of the labium majus, while a few find attachment to 

 the pubic spine. In its median third the round ligament contains robust bundles of 

 involuntary muscle prolonged from the superficial layers of the uterus, but beyond 

 the muscular tissue disappears, and in its lower part the band consists entirely of fibro- 

 elastic tissue. During its passage through the inguinal canal, the ligamentum teres 

 is accompanied, along its upper border, by small, short bundles of striped muscle 



